If you're trying to find out what the general population thinks about an issue, phone interview surveys seem like they would work well. One reason they seem effective is because the interviewer has the opportunity to quickly contact random individuals and interview them. However, there are reasons that an interviewer might not be able to quickly contact people or gather the information he seeks. As with any interview methodology, phone surveys have their pros and cons.

Convenience and Timeliness

Sitting in front of a computer monitor and calling people to complete a phone survey is more convenient than attempting face-to-face interviews. Also, it's more efficient than mailing out surveys that may never be returned. In addition, when an interviewer enters answers or comments directly into a computer system, they are more quickly available for analyzing, which isn't the case with mail-in surveys.

Opportunity for Explanations

Unlike an online or mail survey, a phone interview survey allows the interviewer to clarify information and gather more detail with additional questioning. This ensures more accurate and thorough answers, and lessens the chance that a person will abandon the survey due to confusion or a lack of comprehension.

Quality Measures

Analysts can listen to the recorded interviews conducted by trained interviewers -- an option that isn't available with other forms of interview methodology -- and use information such as the interviewee's inflection to more accurately evaluate answers to questions about new products or controversial topics.

Call Screening or Hang-Ups

If a potential interviewee screens his calls via a caller identification system and sees an unfamiliar phone number, he may decide not to answer his phone. In addition, some individuals will choose to hang up the phone once they hear the interviewer's introduction, because they mistakenly think it's a solicitor calling.

Time Limitations

Time limitations are a drawback of phone interview surveys. Often, when you reach people at home, they are involved in other activities, such as eating dinner or watching television. Some potential interviewees might be reluctant to participate in an interview due to the amount of time they fear it will take. In the interest of time, it's important to ask well-crafted questions that don't require lengthy answers, but still provide you with the answers you want.

Trained Interviewers Required

Trained interviewers who know how to ask questions, elicit answers and record them in a way that can be used are necessary for the success of phone interview surveys. If people who have no prior training or skills in interviewing conduct the interviews, any number of drawbacks can occur, such as too much time spent on the call or a lack of helpful answers.

About the Author

Based in Texas, Cynthia Measom has been writing various parenting, business and finance and education articles since 2011. Her articles have appeared on websites such as The Bump and Motley Fool. Measom received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Texas at Austin.